HOAX – ‘Chemical Laced $100 Bills Placed on Cars to Kidnap Drivers’

Outline

Circulating message claims that criminals are placing $100 bills laced with a debilitating chemical on cars as a means of making drivers who touch the note pass out so that they can be kidnapped or assaulted.

Brief Analysis

The warning is a hoax. There are no credible reports about attacks like the one described. Moreover, it is extremely unlikely that there is a chemical so powerful that merely touching a laced note would make a person pass out. The message is derived from older urban legends claiming that fake perfume or business cards laced with powerful drugs have been used to debilitate and rob or kidnap victims.

Example

Came out the store with my sister and this was on my car! I climbed in from the other side she drove us through a car wash so we didn’t touch it! The rumors going around are people putting 100 on your car with chemical to make you pass out so they can kidnap you hurt you and take your car! Females watch this I thought it was a joke. Well it just happened to us so we drove around until we seen no one from the parking lot anymore.

Detailed Analysis

Message Warns of Laced $100 Bills Used in Car Park Kidnappings

A post currently circulating via social media warns that criminals are using $100 bills laced with a powerful chemical as a means of debilitating and kidnapping victims.

The message claims that the laced $100 bills are being left on car door handles so that, when the victim returns to the vehicle, he or she will touch the bill and then pass out. Then, the criminals can kidnap or hurt their victim and steal the car.

Or so the ‘warning’ message would have us believe.

Warning is a Hoax – No Credible Reports of Such Crimes

But, in fact, the message is just a silly hoax and its claims are untrue.

There are no credible news or police reports about crimes like the one described in the message.

Moreover, the message immediately makes you wonder what chemical would be so powerful that just touching it would knock out the victim instantly. In fact, I could find no references to such a chemical. Of course, there are drugs that, if swallowed or inhaled may cause dizziness and debilitation. But, there is no information about a drug that can immediately render a person unconscious just by touching an object that contains it.

To work, the chemical would have to either give off fumes that the victim breathed in or be absorbed into the body via the skin. It is simply absurd to suggest that, just by picking up a note, enough of the drug could be administered by either of these methods to instantly render a person unconscious.

And, if there were such a substance, how would the criminals manage to lace the $100 bill and plant it on the car without being affected themselves? Wearing thick gloves and breathing apparatus while planting laced notes on cars might look a trifle suspicious.

Furthermore, why would the criminals use hundred dollar bills when they could just smear the substance on a piece of paper – or the door handle itself – and presumably achieve the same result? Hundred dollar bills – even fake ones – would be quite conspicuous and would likely be noticed and perhaps even snatched by passers-by.

Variant of Earlier Urban Legends

The message is also reminiscent of another circulating warning that claims $100 bills are being left on windshields as part of a car-jacking scheme. Supposedly, a hapless shopper will get in the car, notice the $100 bill and then get out to retrieve it. The criminals can then pounce from hiding and steal the car and possibly even abduct the car’ driver. But again, there are no credible reports that support the claim that car thieves are using this rather unlikely tactic. And, this warning is itself derived from yet another urban legend that claimed that criminals were putting pieces of paper on the rear windows of cars as a means of stealing them.

Passing on False Warnings Counterproductive

Sharing these false warnings will help nobody. Such messages do nothing other than pointlessly spread fear and alarm and make it less likely that genuine warnings are taken seriously.

If you receive one of these warnings, do not share it with others. And take the time to let the sender know that the claims in the message are untrue.

Apparently you did not read “Passing on False Warning Counterproductive.”
Per the American College of Medical Toxicology “Dermal Exposure Risk for Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogs
Fentanyl is amenable to transdermal absorption because of its low molecular weight and lipophilicity [19, 20].
Depending on the specific product, transdermal delivery systems (“patches”) take 3-13 hours to produce a
therapeutic serum fentanyl concentration and 35 hours to reach peak concentration [21-24]. Absorption of liquid or
aqueous fentanyl increases with larger surface area of application, duration of application, broken skin, and heat. The
physical properties of fentanyl analogs are similar to fentanyl, suggesting potential for dermal absorption. In a small
volunteer study, sufentanil citrate applied to the forearm and covered in an occlusive dressing was absorbed
comparably to fentanyl, although exact bioavailability was not determined [25].
However, incidental dermal absorption is unlikely to cause opioid toxicity. If bilateral palmar surfaces were covered
with fentanyl patches, it would take approximately 14 minutes to receive 100 mcg of fentanyl [using a body surface
area of 17,000 cm 2 , palm surface area of 0.5% [26], and fentanyl absorption of 2.5 mcg/cm 2 /h [24]. This extreme
example illustrates that even a high dose of fentanyl prepared for transdermal administration cannot rapidly deliver a
high dose.
The above calculation is based on fentanyl patch data, which overestimates the potential exposure from drug in tablet
or powder form in several ways. Drug must have sufficient surface area and moisture to be efficiently absorbed.
Medicinal transdermal fentanyl utilizes a matrix designed to optimize delivery, whereas tablets and powder require
dissolution for absorption. Relatedly, powdered drug sits on the skin, whereas patches have adhesive to hold drug in
close proximity to the skin allowing both to remain moist. Finally, the above quoted figure 2.5 mcg/cm 2 /h represents
delivery at steady state after drug has penetrated the dermis, which overestimates the amount of absorption in the
first few minutes of dermal exposure. This initial period is of most relevance in unintentional exposure, because
fentanyl that is observed on skin can be rapidly removed by mechanical (brushing) means or cleansing with water..
Therefore, based on our current understanding of the absorption of fentanyl and its analogs, it is very unlikely that
small, unintentional skin exposures to tablets or powder would cause significant opioid toxicity, and if toxicity were to
occur it would not develop rapidly, allowing time for removal.”